The holiday season is upon us again. Actually, it’s been going on since before Labor Day, when most retail stores began decorating for their “golden quarter.” Images of lit trees and wreaths, elaborately wrapped expensive presents and heavy meals are being projected by magazines, television and radio, overwhelming our senses. The image is clear: “Angels we have heard on high, telling us go out and buy.”

One might think that the economy is booming. Only it isn’t.

The world’s economy is a mess, the nation’s economy is a mess, the state’s economy is a mess, the local economy is a mess. Unemployment is a very real thing here, despite government statistics telling us how well off we are, relatively speaking. Jobs are not being created here, despite the claims of incumbents returned to elective office that they actually brought a few hundred jobs into the area. They neglect to mention the tens of thousands of jobs that have left Rochester alone, not to mention the rest of the state. Of course, depending on which political party you belong to, it’s either ex-president Bush’s fault or the fault of the Obama Rama Dhing Dhong. Take your pick; one will do as well as the other.

And everyone seems to forget about the “ripple effect:” while lay offs effect those people directly, they then have less money to spread around which will then have an effect on those businesses that service them. Those businesses cut back on employment in their turn, to compensate for their lost revenue. And the spiral downward continues.

Some fools might say, rather smugly, that there a lots of jobs out there. Yes, there are, of the minimum wage variety. The sort that they, too, wouldn’t take if and when they lose their jobs to a disintegrating economy. They rarely think that there, but for the grace of God, they’d be.

Yes, there are plenty of food drives out there, whether by private agencies or the churches. Yes, we’ve all seen the Salvation Army’s red kettles out there, with people ringing bells to get the attention of passers-by, hoping they might spare some loose change to help others less fortunate. Yes, our politicians keep promising us things will get better with every election campaign, but we keep putting the same sort of creatures back into office who offer us programs, but no solutions. They haven’t solved anything yet. Keeping in line with that, the governor-elect chose as his running-mate the man who presided over Rochester, which has the worst level of child poverty in New York State, and one of the worst levels in the whole nation!

What can be expected from a situation like that?

It is the children who suffer for the sins of the adults. With unemployment, energy and fuel costs up, and disposable income down, toys might be the least or the last thing adults worry about. Their kids might get a warm meal for the holidays, but what about gifts? Their children see advertisements about presents, but might not get any. For some, the holidays are just another day. Sad.

And some people see it. While they cannot cure it, they can offer some comfort and relief. Perhaps even some hope.

The Rochester Rams, Rochester’s oldest and premier gay leather and biker club, are kicking off their annual community toy drive Saturday, November 20. The event will take place at The Bachelor Forum, 670 University Avenue, during the Rams’ monthly “Bar Night.” ( The Bachelor Forum is Rochester’s oldest extant gay bar! ) The Rams have sponsored their holiday toy drive for thirty odd years. All anyone needs to do is bring in a new, unwrapped toy to The Bachelor Forum Saturday night ( or to “Outlandish” in the Village Gate Mall all month long ). Cash donations will also be accepted. All toys and proceeds will benefit Roosevelt Children’s Center.

The Bachelor Forum, on “Bar Night,” is usually filled with fun and fellowship, so come and bring a new, unwrapped toy and enjoy yourselves. You probably spend more on two drinks, anyway. Touch the hearts of children you will probably never see. Don’t worry, nobody is going to “brainwash” you! And you don’t even have to wear leather, although it wouldn’t hurt and you’d probably feel less conspicuous.

One or two of you out there might ask “Why would a bunch of gay leather guys and bikers care about kids during the holidays?” To both of you I say it’s because, believe it or not, we are only human. And even harder to believe ( but only too true ), we were kids once!

Contributors

Click on a blogger to see just their posts.

Rich Gardner has been writing about the history, culture and waterways of Upstate New York for years. His articles have appeared in U.S. and Canadian publications, and one book, Learning to Walk. He is an alumnus of Brighton High School and SUNY Geneseo. He operates Upstate Resume & Writing Service in Brighton and recently moved to Corn Hill, where he is already involved in community projects. "I enjoy the 'Aha!' moments of learning new things, conceptual and literal. City living is a great teacher."

Ken Warner grew up in Brockport and first experienced Rochester as a messenger boy for a law firm in Midtown Tower. He recently moved downtown into a loft on the 13th floor of the Temple Building with a view of the Liberty Poll and works in the Powers Building overlooking Rochester’s four corners as Executive Director for UNICON, an organization devoted to bringing economic development to the community. He hopes to use his Rochester Blog to share his observations from these unique views of downtown.